


Trembling: Ice in the Veins

by deebainwonderland



Series: Irondad Whumptober [14]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Hurt Peter, Platonic Cuddling, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, whumptober2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-31 06:40:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21101618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deebainwonderland/pseuds/deebainwonderland
Summary: Peter can't thermoregulate anymore. Tony is mildly (massive understatement) concerned by this.#whumptober2019 #no.20 #trembling





	Trembling: Ice in the Veins

Peter lay curled up into a ball in the middle of his bed, covered by two thick woolen blankets and trembling so hard his teeth clanged together painfully. 

There were so many cool things about being Spider-Man. This was so totally not one of them. 

It had taken Peter awhile to figure out just what was wrong with him. Why he was suddenly so tired and lethargic all the time. Why the world seems to be spinning slower and slower and slower.

Peter was cold. And it sucked. 

He was so focused on keeping his teeth from gnashing together that he almost missed the vibrating phone on the bed next to his head. Finally registering the noise, Peter grappled to bring it to his ear without even checking the caller ID 

“Hello?”

“Ok, kid, what the hell is going on over there?”

Well, that was one way to snap Peter back to alertness. “Mr. Stark!” he cried shooting up from his sitting position and instantly regretting it when his vision blurred. “Um, what do you mean?”

“Cut the crap, kid.” Tony’s voice was harsh but Peter knew him well enough by now to hear the concern behind the words. He’d long ago figured out that Tony wasn’t always successful at dealing with his wide range of emotions. May said he acted like a drunk teenager most of the time but Peter wasn’t about to repeat that. “Um, uh, what?”

Tony signed heavily and Peter could almost hear his pacing over the phone. “What am I talking about? Hm, well how about the fact that you haven’t patrolled all week. Or even left your bed on this fine Saturday? Or that your heart rate is suspiciously slow? Take your pick, kiddo.”

Peter’s eyes slid to the watch on his wrist. Traitor. It had been a birthday gift from Tony and it said a lot about Peter’s odd life that he was absolutely not surprised to find out it was tracking his stats in real time. “M’fine Mr. Stark.”

“Oh yes, that was very convincing,” Tony said sarcastically. “Want to try again?”

Peter considered simply lying for a long moment but his brain was fuzzy and he was just so _ cold _. “I don’t think I can thermoregulate anymore.”

There was a long, telling silence from the other side of the phone. When Tony finally spoke, his words who clipped and calculated. “Peter, what do you mean?”

Peter rolled onto his back, curling deeper into the blankets and staring dully up at the ceiling. “Spiders can’t thermoregulate. 

Tony swore colorfully and Peter had to smile. If he wasn’t so tired, he would have teased his mentor. 

“I’m coming over,” Tony snapped, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” 

Peter’s protest was met with the dial tone. At any other time, the idea of Tony Stark flying over in one of his suits to chew him out would have Peter shaking in his boots. As it was, he trembled for an entirely different reason. 

Nine and a half minutes later, Peter heard his front door slam open. Good lord, Tony Stark just picked his lock. 

A moment later, Peter was squinting up at Tony framed in his doorway. The man looked thunderous but when he saw Peter’s sorry state curled up under his blankets with only his fluffy head poking out, Tony softened. 

“Hey, kiddo,” he said, crossing the room and kneeling by the bed. “Spiders can’t thermoregulate, huh? 

Peter let out a low whine and Tony instantly reached out to bury his hand into Peter’s curls, rubbing comforting circles. “Why didn’t you call me, Peter?” 

Closing his eyes, Peter leaned into the touch. “So much trouble.”

Confused, Tony slid his hand down to cup the back of the boy’s neck. “You’re in so much trouble?” 

“Am so much trouble.” 

Tony blinked, staring down at the trembling boy. Finally, he shook his head ruefully and stood up. “I like taking care of you kid. When are you going to get that? You’re not a trouble to care for, Pete.” 

Peter watched through silted eyes as Tony left the room, still grumbling. A few minutes later he was back with a steaming cup of tea in his hands.

“Ok, kid, up you go,” Tony said reaching down with his free hand to help the boy sit up. Peter whined again and Tony grunted a laugh. Peter managed to get himself upright and sat against the wall. Tony climbed up onto the bed next to him and handed Peter the tea carefully. 

As soon as the hot cup touched his hands, Peter moaned in relief. Tony snorted again, a fond gleam in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment, hand held halfway out to the boy before steeling himself and wrapping the arm around Peter. 

Peter went willingly, curling up against his mentor. Tony reached out to stroke his cheek. “Shit, kid, you’re an icicle!” 

Peter slurped at his tea and didn't answer. Tony reached down and stuck his hand under the kid’s blanket. Pulling the Iron Man glove from his watch, he set it to a lower heat setting and settled it on Peter’s stomach. 

The spot of warmth spread out through Peter’s limbs and he almost started to cry from relief. Deciding that this whole situation was already crushingly embassarshing so what could a little more humiliation do, Peter crawled half-way into Tony’s lap, rather desperate to get as close as possible to the heat source.

Tony suddenly found himself with a lapful of trembling spider-kid. He hesitantly wrapped his free arm around Peter’s back to keep him from falling out and tried not to think too much about the bubbly feeling swelling in his chest. God, old age was making him soft. Or perhaps it was this self-sacrificing, idiot, darling boy in his lap. 

Leaning down to rest his cheek on top of soft curls, Tony said softly, “You know I’m going to have to text Happy to come get us to go back to the Tower for tests, right?”

Peter muttered his consent and curled deeper in against Tony, hands clutching the tea as if he was afraid the man would try to take it away. 

Sighing, Tony set his phone next to him on the bed and smiled down at the kid who would almost certainly give him a heart attack one day. Maybe they could wait just a little while to call Happy to come retrieve them. 

Tony reached down and pulled the blanket back up from where it had fallen off Peter’s shoulder. Peter snuggled even closer. With the cup of hot tea in his hands and Tony’s warmth surrounding him, his trembles finally began to cease.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudo and/or comment if you enjoyed. Much more to come!


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